


At Last

by NYS30



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Happily Ever After, Post-Canon Fix-It, They deserved better, unbeta'd as hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:33:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYS30/pseuds/NYS30
Summary: The Housekeeper and The Cook get their happy ending....of sorts.
Relationships: Hannah Grose/Owen Sharma
Comments: 25
Kudos: 139





	At Last

**Author's Note:**

> I just couldn't leave them like that! They deserved a happy ending.

The Housekeeper looked on as her broken body was lifted from the bottom of the well. The villagers all looked away in disgust, too horrified by the intimate knowledge of what time and the elements were capable of doing to a once youthful face. All looked away...even the Gardener.

Except one.

The Cook stared intently at the body, as if willing it to sit up once more and grace him with one last smile. One last chuckle at his horrible puns. Or even one last look of unfathomable meaning.

But the body did no such thing.

And so, he came to the inevitable conclusion that Mrs. Grose, his dear, dear Mrs. Grose was well and truly dead. There would be no more early morning talks with just the two of them. No more playful teasing about purchasing a mixer instead of kneading the dough by hand. No more late nights spent in front of the fire sharing a bottle of wine, while hoping desperately that she would ask him to stay.

No more Hannah and Owen. Just Owen, now.

The Cook refused any help in preparing the body, couldn't bare the more thought of anyone else touching his beloved. He lovingly washed her for the last time, carefully dressed her in something smart for her final resting place. The blue dress that brought out the richness of her skin, and had always called to him like a beacon.

His heart well and truly broken, the Cook prepared to leave Bly Manor along with its previous inhabitants. The Gardener and Au Pair set off together for parts unknown, while Lord Wingrave, who understandably endeavored to put as much space in between Bly and his niece and nephew as possible, found refuge in America.

After a few years, the Cook finally opened his own restaurant, and although he managed to move ahead, the memory of what (and who) he left behind was never too far from his mind. He talked to her picture everyday, asking her opinion of his recipes, testing out new puns, or simply ranting after a hard day.

He would sleep, he would wake, and he would live.

~~~

The Housekeeper of course was none the wiser. Having done what she set out to do, she met her fate with a grace that few could ever hope to emulate. Unlike the Cook, when she slept, she did not wake, for there was no need. She slept, and slept, and slept some more.

Until one day...

"Are you Hannah?"

The Housekeeper whirled in her seat. Standing in the doorway was a tall man with circular glasses. There was an air of nervousness about him, as if he knew he was intruding, and was deeply sorry for it.

"Owen Sharma, it's so nice to meet you."

Hannah rose to take his hand in hers. "Right. Right, yes, sorry. I'm a little discombobulated today."

Sitting down with Owen, the Housekeeper had the niggling feeling that they had done this before. The feeling steadily increased as Owen began to talk about his mother. So much so that, in a fit of uncanny rudeness, Hannah interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, but haven't we already done this."

"Yes, but we have to do it again."

"Why?"

"You tell me."

The Housekeeper was at a loss for words, and so, because she had no answer, she followed along. She spoke the words that she knew she would be expected to say, feeling all the while as if she were getting them wrong somehow. She fumbled on the children's ages, and looked away briefly to massage a sore spot on her head.

~~~~

"Are you Hannah?"

The Housekeeper turned once more, thoroughly confused at the soft spoken question in the voice that she knows shes heard before. Once again she spoke her assigned lines, and once again, she had trouble keeping the details straight.

And so it went.

Over and over again the Housekeeper found herself stuck in a seemingly endless loop for no discernible reason. With each repetition, the man sitting across from her grew more agitated. Which wasn't right at all. Owen, her Owen, was never cross with her. Had never even raised his voice at anyone, not even when the children were naughty.

But how could she know that when he was only just now interviewing for the job?

Hannah looked at the man sitting across from her. He had taken off his glasses in a burst of anger and it was in that gesture that the first stirrings of memory started to come back.

_The Wingraves dying._

_An Au Pair: Ms. Jessel. Rebecca._

_Peter Quint. A scoundrel and a thief._

_Peter disappearing._

_Rebecca dying._

_Flora finding her body._

_Miles being sent home from boarding school._

_"Honestly, Hannah."_

_A new Au Pair, Dani._

_Owen's mother dying._

_An offer to go to Paris._

_The well._

_The well._

_The well._

~~~

"My name is Hannah Grose. The year is 1987. Dominique is dead. Charlotte is dead, Rebecca and Peter are dead." Here she takes a big breath, "I'm dead."

"Yes." Owen, affirms.

"I want to help them."

He leans forward, "Its alright, Hannah."

She frowned, that's not how this was supposed to go. He was supposed to talk her into leaving her safe place to save himself and the children. "Owen?"

The smile that graces his face is resplendent, "You've already done that part, love. The children were saved, I was saved."

"Then why..." Hannah trails off, more memories rushing to the surface.

_Realizing she was dead._

_Not wanting to leave her safe space with Owen._

_Knowing the children were in danger._

_Trying and failing to save Dani._

_Warning Jamie and Owen in time to save Mr. Wingrave._

_Telling Mr. Wingrave that she..._

"I told him to tell you that I..." Hannah paused.

"You what?" Owen rose to his feet.

"That I love you." Hannah felt the tears welling up, "I loved you, and I never got the chance to tell you myself."

"You just did." He stood directly in front of her now, tears building in his eyes as well. "I love you too, Hannah Grose."

Her heart swelled with emotion as she reached a hand up to cup his cheek, "Is this goodbye then?"

Owen raised his brows, "Why should this be goodbye?"

"I'm dead, Owen. I will not do to you what that woman did to this manor. As much as I would love to keep you with me, you have to go and live your life." She attempted to step back, but Owen was faster. He gripped her upper arms to keep her close to his body.

"I have lived my life."

"What?"

"My name is Owen Sharma, I'm not sure what the year is because I'm not sure how this whole thing works, and I'm dead."

"Oh, Owen." Hannah tried to hide the sorrow in her voice.

"No, it's fine." He rushed to assure her. "I had a long life, Hannah. I left Bly, I opened up my own restaurant." He stared deeply into her eyes,"I lived, darling."

"So why are you here." Hannah queried.

Owen shrugged, "I was born here, always knew I'd be laid to rest here as well. My mother is here...you're here. I'd hoped that..." he trailed off.

"Yes?" Hannah urged him to continue.

"I don't know all the particulars of how all this," he gestured between the two of them and Bly Manor as a whole "works, but my hope was that we would finally get our chance."

Her breath caught in her throat, "After all this time, you still...?"

"Oh yes." Owen smile softly.

The Housekeeper's breath caught in her throat. After all this time, her Cook had finally made his way back home to her.


End file.
